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“I saw you circling overhead,” Kelyn said. “I wished I could have waved you down earlier. I wanted to know if you’re ready to introduce Seren to a few townships. Messengers have left, but I don’t think they know what to expect. I mean, I didn’t.”
“Are you angry with me? Believe me, that was far from my—”
“I’m not.” Kelyn edged closer to Seren and rubbed her shoulder. “May I come up? To escort you?”
I pursed my lips at him, as if considering. Mortal men always wanted to escort the ladies.
“If you prefer to retire… I worried you might be spent,” he rattled on. “But I didn’t want to miss this fair afternoon. A storm’s blowing in tonight.”
You’re a tease, Seren said.
“Niawen?” Kelyn asked.
“Yes, yes. Let’s go. Show me your kingdom.” My chest tightened. Owein wanted to show me so much, but he abandoned me to a crown prince.
An eager crown prince.
Kelyn reached out. “Seren doesn’t mind if I step on her forearm?”
“Go ahead, Your Highness,” Seren said.
I grabbed his hand and pulled him behind myself. He settled against my back as he wrapped his arms around me. I pulled his hands loose so his grip wasn’t too tight. That’s when I noticed how clammy they were.
“Kelyn?” I studied his emotions. Fear. Anxiety. From being around Seren?
“I should probably tell you I’m terrified of heights,” he whispered.
“We haven’t even left the ground!”
“I know.” He shifted in the saddle and looked up. “See Kenrik on the rampart?” Kelyn raised his voice. “Laugh it up!”
I zoomed in on Kenrik with my dragon sight. Absolutely as smug as could be, he laughed so vigorously his hands clenched his stomach.
“He’s watching from there because he knows I won’t go up there either,” Kelyn said.
I wrapped an infusion of light around Kelyn and smoothed my hands over his. This whole situation was humorous, but I wanted to allow His Highness to save face. “Don’t holler. Just hold on. You won’t go anywhere. My light will bolster your confidence.”
“Am I going to regret this?” he asked.
“Never.”
TWENTY-ONE
Rain pounded the rooftops and forced everyone indoors. Sorfrona explained that the weather became more and more unpredictable as winter approached, but those native to the highlands were used to the sky’s moods. They had plenty of indoor activities to occupy themselves, from mending and weaving and all sorts of stitchery for the ladies, to games and training for the gentlemen. Evenings brought the opportunity for music and dancing, or storytelling and theater.
Never a dull moment.
I decided I hated the cold season. Sure, the fiery array of autumn’s leaves was exquisite. I imagined being immersed in a furnace of color. Oranges, yellows, and reds had danced on the wind, but since the rain began, leaves drooped and lost themselves in the mud. A mush of dying life.
I couldn’t stand it.
And Seren was bored, tucked into an outbuilding large enough to house her. In Gorlassar, we flew in the summer rains. I’d lean back on Seren and let the droplets cover my body. But not in this chilling drench.
Meanwhile, I had escaped everyone. The ladies were playing cards in one of the more spacious sitting rooms.
I was too antsy to sit.
So I meandered around the corridors, contemplating historic tapestries and paintings, staring out the windows at a great lake that was its own sea. Counting stairs and stones, sconces and curtains.
